Days 260 - 269 Thursday 16th October – Saturday 25th October 2008
Had a wonderful day in
The Basilica of San Lorenzo is one of the largest churches of
The Piazza del Duomo was a bustling area containing the main Cathedral, the Baptistry and Giotto’s
The Baptistry stands next to the Cathedral, built around the 5th century, a striking eight-sided, green and white marble building.
Also in the
Next was the Piazza della Signoria – from the late 1200s the scene of major Florentine events. Dominating one side are the three great arches of the Loggia della Signoria, designed in the 1380s for public ceremonies. It later became an open-air sculpture museum housing some fabulous pieces – see photos. Also in this square, The Neptune Fountain stands in front of the Palazzo Vecchio.
Then off to the other side of the River Arno over the Ponte Vecchio or old bridge – lined each side with jewellery shops – to the Palazzo Pitti, the Little Palace. Today it is a complex of museums and art galleries – The Palatine Gallery, The Monumental Apartments, the Gallery of Modern Art, the
We thought Florence was an amazing City – too much to see in one visit, the churches alone would take days, the numerous art galleries need time to do them justice so we look forward to coming here again in the future.
Uk Interlude to visit little Hector -
Went on the train to
Their house is really lovely - Nina and James have got everything well organised – and little Hector has his very own first bedroom. Needless to say he charmed everybody completely. He has just moved on to bottled milk so we were all fighting for a turn to feed him – but Grandma managed to bath him and put him to bed both nights! Had a lovely few days with them all before making our way back to Gatwick on the train – Nina and Hector came with us to the airport to see us off! Flight delayed just over and hour this time, but we were in no rush.
Arrived back at the site to find our caravan all on its own. There are about three others up by the shower block and that’s it – on a site that can hold over 80! It’s lovely and quiet, apart from a bit of road noise, so we’ve had some great afternoons sunbathing, with the place almost to ourselves.
Went on a trip to Vinci (as in Leonardo da), a little village on a hilltop about twenty minutes drive from here. There is a museum dedicated to his works with models, built to scale in recent times (mainly by IBM), standing alongside copies of his original drawings – fascinating. The village itself is very pretty, spread round the church where Leonardo is said to have been christened (the original font is still inside) with super views over the Montalbano hills, narrow streets and shady terraces.
On the way back we visited another town – Cerreto Guidi – where one of the most infamous Medici Villas was built on the hilltop overlooking the town. It is now open to the public so we walked round spacious rooms with various exhibits on show. It was the scene of a brutal murder in1576. Isabella Medici, wife of Paolo Giordano Orsini, had plenty of money from father Cosimo Medici, didn’t care too much for her usually absent husband and got involved with Troilus Orsini, her husbands cousin. Paolo wasn’t too happy about this and strangled his 34 year old wife in her bed during a hunting trip when staying at this villa.
Been here for 3 weeks now. Paid the bill with camping cheques equivalent to about 14€ a night less 2 nights discount for staying 21 nights. Also we have enjoyed free internet here, wifi which worked most of the time in the caravan. That’s why the blog and photos are up to date!
Off to
